Thursday, 7 November 2013

This month we take inspiration from Italy with some fresh new Spring recipes from Milanese chef and friend Luca Ciano. Luca's enthusiasm for food and people is contagious and loves to share beautiful recipes, stories and tips for creating authentic Italian meals. If you have ever wanted to learn how to cook like an Italian, Luca often travels around Australia and Asia doing cooking classes and demonstrations. Contact Luca through his website for details.

For now please enjoy the food dept.'s food story with Luca's recipes.

Orecchiette pasta with spicy n’duja with asparagus and fresh ricotta

This is an easy pasta to make mid week for your family. N’duja is a
spicy, soft, spreadable salami available from good Italian delis. You can substitute this salami for any salami of your liking.

PREP 20min COOKING TIME
5min SERVES 4-6

• 1/3
cup extra virgin olive oil

• 3 spring onion, cut into 3cm lengths

• 3 garlic cloves, bruised with skin on

• 2 bunches of asparagus, cut into 1cm lengths (tips kept separate)

• salt
and pepper, for seasoning

• 350g Orecchiette pasta

• 1 punnet ripe, grape tomatoes, halved

• 100g n’duja (salami), broken into 1cm pieces

• 10
leaves, fresh oregano

• 150g fresh
ricotta

• 50g
dry salted ricotta

1.
Bring plenty of salted water to the boil (about 7g salt to 1 Litre water)

2.
Heat oil in a large frying pan, then add spring onions and cook for 3 minutes,
then add garlic and cook for 2 minutes, then add asparagus (not the tips) and
cook for further 2 minutes, add salt and pepper.

3.
Drop pasta in the water and cook accordingly to packet’s instruction and 2
minutes before draining add the asparagus tips into the pasta water.

4.
Meanwhile, add tomatoes to the sauce and cook for 3 minutes, then add n’duja
and cook for 2 minutes.

5.
Drain pasta and asparagus tips when al dente, reserving ½ cup of cooking water,
and toss with the sauce for 1 minute. Add a little cooking water if needed to
loosen the pasta.

6.
Remove from the heat and add oregano and fresh ricotta, stir to combine.

7.
Serve with a sprinkle of salted ricotta, cracked pepper and a drizzle of olive
oil.

Is there an Italian restaurant that doesn't serve zucchini flowers? Stay in and cook your own, this recipes is wonderfully light and delicious.PREP 20min COOKING TIME 5min SERVES 4

• 300g
fresh ricotta

• 4
anchovies in oil, drained, finely chopped

• ½ cup
extra virgin olive oil

• salt
and pepper, for seasoning

• 12
small zucchini, flowers attached

• 10
large basil leaves

• 1
tablespoon pine nuts

• ½ garlic
clove

• ½ cup
grated grana Padano or other Parmigiano
Reggiano

• juice
of ½ lemon

• 1/3
cup flaked almonds, toasted

1.
Mix together ricotta, anchovies and 1 tablespoon of oil until smooth. Season.

2.
Remove flowers from zucchini. Split open one side of flowers and, using
fingertips, gently remove stamens. Fill flowers with ricotta mixture and gently
twist ends to enclose.

3.
Chop zucchini and place in a food processor with basil, pine nuts and garlic. Pulse
until finely chopped. Add remaining oil and process until smooth. Add Grana
Padano and lemon juice and pulse to combine. Season.

4. Lay filled zucchini flowers in a bamboo
steamer. Steam, covered, over a pan of gently simmering water for 2-3 mins,
until filling is firm.

5.
Place 2-3 tablespoons of zucchini pesto onto each serving plate. Top with
zucchini flowers and scatter with toasted almonds.

2.
Meanwhile, using a vegetable peeler, shave the asparagus into ribbons. Place in
a bowl with watercress. Whisk together lemon juice and extra olive oil and season.
Add dressing to the salad and toss to combine.

3.
Heat vegetable oil in a large shallow pan until 180C or until a cube of bread
sizzles on contact. Spoon 3 heaped tablespoons of ricotta mixture around edge
of pan. Shallow-fry for 3-4 mins, until cooked through. Drain. Repeat to make
18 fritters, reheating oil between batches.

4.
Place the fritter on the watercress and asparagus salad, serve.

Thank you! We would like to thank Luca Ciano for his generosity and for creating these wonderful recipes for the food dept. Thanks for hanging out with us on the shoot day, you have been a dream to work with. We hope you love the pics!